Westmoreland needs to support the USA Freedom Act

Lynn Westmoreland claims to be a conservative, small-government Republican. He has pushed for less government intrusion in areas such as education, health care and business, all solid conservative stances.

Given such a record, one wonders why Rep. Westmoreland continues to support the National Security Agency's mass surveillance of the American people. On his website, he argues that the programs of phone and Internet monitoring are both legal and under government oversight, so we have nothing to worry about.

Forgive me, but when did conservatives start trusting the government to simply do the right thing? It is odd how Rep. Westmoreland's scruples about Big Government and abuse of power, so strident when denouncing the evils of Obamacare, the IRS, and Benghazi, seem to vanish into thin air the moment that "national security" is mentioned.

Whatever people may think of Edward Snowden or his actions, the mass surveillance of the American people is a serious threat to our liberty. The USA Freedom Act (H.R. 3361), put forward by Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, would limit the powers of the NSA and introduce some badly needed transparency to the surveillance process. So far, Rep. Westmoreland has not signed the bill. If he wishes to show that he cares more about the rights of the American people than the power of the federal government, he should give it his support.